Frank



No. 609,506. Patented Aug. 23, I898. F. D. FUBBER 8|. W. A. MITCHELL. SANDING DEVICE FOR STREET CARS. (Application filad July 23, 1895. Renewed Feb. 11, 1898.)

(No Model.)

ms mums PEYERS cc. FHQTO-UTHO WASNINGTON, a c.

FRANK O. FURBER AhTD XVILLIAM A. MlTCI-IELL, OF SACO, MAINE; SAID FURBER ASSIGNOR TO SAID MITCHELL.

SANDING DEVICE sou STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,506, dated August 23, 1898. Application filed July 23,1895. Renewed February 11, 1398. Serial No- 670,008. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK'O. FURBER and WILLIAM A. MITCHELL, of Saco, county of York, State of Maine, have invented an Improvement inSanding Devices for Street- Oars, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve the construction of sanding devices for streetcars such as represented in United States Letters Patent No. 539,530, dated May 21, 1895; and it consists in certain details of construction to be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation and partial section the sanding device for street-cars embodying our improvements; Fig. 2, a detail of the detachable and adjustable footpiece, and Fig. 3 a modification to be referred to.

The hopper consists of the neck a and flaring body portion a, placed thereon, said neck being open at its lower end and shaped interiorly at said open end to form a valve-seat. This hopper is placed over a hole cut in the floor of the car.

A valve b, secured to a valve-stem b, is contained in the hopper, acting when depressed to close the lower open end thereof and when elevated to permit the sand contained in the hopper to escape. The valve-stem b has projecting radially from it pins 2 of any suitable length, said pins being so disposed on the stem as to lie buried in the sand and acting to agitate or stir up the sand whenever the valve is moved up and down. The valve 1) extends up through the hopper and through ahole in a cross-piece c at the upper end thereof, which serves as a guide for the upper end of said valve-stem. This cross-piece 0 may be supported by and beneath the seat, or it may be otherwise supported. A spiral spring 0 surrounds the valve-stem b between the uppermost pin 2 and the cross-piece c, the tendency of which is to depress the valve, and thereby close the exit of the hopper. The valve-stem I) also extends down through the hole a in the car-floor and thence down through a hol- 10w cylinder (1, which is bolted or otherwise secured to the under side of the floor of the car directly beneath the hole a, or it may be otherwise supported, and said cylinder 01 has at one side a slot d: of suitable length, at one jor-both sides of which an ear (1 projects laterally. l

A bell-crank lever e is pivoted to the ear or cars d one arm of which extends in through the slot d and also passes loosely through a slot or hole formed in the lower end of the valve-stem Z), or it may be otherwise loosely connected thereto, and the other arm of said bell-crank lever projects upwardly and has loosely jointed thereto a yoke or coupling e, to which the screw-threaded end of a rod or link 6 is connected. The other end of the rod e is loosely connected with another bellcrank lever f, pivoted to a suitable hanger f, secured to the car floor or otherwise supported-as, for instance, said rod may pass freely through a more or less conical hole in said arm and may have fixed to its outer end a nut. The other arm of said bell-crank lever f terminates beneath a foot-piece g,which passes downthrough the floor of the car and which is so located as to be within easy reach of (that it may be operated by) the motorman or other attendant. Wheneverthe foot-piece g is depressed, the valve Z1 is raised by the bell-crank levers f and e and the connectingrode.

We may use a cord or chain as a connection betweenthe bell crank levers instead of the connecting-rod, which would'be an ob vious equivalent therefor.

The foot-piece g is detachable, so that it may be removed and carried to the other end of the car. This is important, for the reason that if it was permanently located passengers standing on the rear platform would accidentally or intentionally depress it, and by holding it depressed permit all the sand to escape. The foot-piece g isalso made adjustable longitu dinally as, for instance, it may consist of an interiorly-screw-threaded shank n, having at its upper end a step, and a headed screw 02-, which enters said shank more or less, the head of the screw bearing upon that arm of the bellcrank lever f which passes beneath or crosses the hole in the floor into which the foot-piece quired.

is placed. By means of such adjustment the distance that the valve b is raised is determined.

The lower end of the cylinder 61 is or may be more or less contracted and provided eX- teriorly with suitable corrugations over which a flexible tube-as, for instance, a short section of hose h--may be drawn, and this hose extends down into a cylindricaltdelivery-cup 2', which is fixed to the life-guard or any other part'of the truck, so as to be moved by or with said truck and independent'of the body of the car.

The sand leaving the hopperpasses through the cylinder d, and thence through the flexible tube h, and finally through the cylindrical delivery-cup i, being delivered by said cup just in front of the wheels, where it is re As the car-body moves in one or the other direction independent of the truck the flexible tube h will be drawn more or less from the cup; but it is made long enough to at all times remain in the delivery-cup notwithstanding the relative positions of the car-body and truck.

It will be seen that so far as the cylinder d and the flexible tube attached thereto and delivery-cup 2' are concerned any other means than that herein shown may be employed for operating the valve, and vice versa.

Instead of securing the hopper to the upper side of the car-floor and the cylinder d to the lower side thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, these parts may be secured together, as shown in Fig. 3, and the floor cut away to receive them.

We claim- The combination of a sand-hopper, its valve and spring-pressed Valve-stem, guide-plate 0, cylinder at slotted at d and having an ear d and means for operating said valve consisting of the bell-crank lever e, bell-crank lever 

